rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: tribuere
Latin

tribuere

assign, allot, or bestow

Forms

  • tribuere
  • tribut- — The form used for completed action.

Origin

Traditionally associated with Latin tribus, “tribe or division.”

Note

Giving someone a share can become payment, contribution, or attribution.

8 / 10
A volunteer deals out identical food parcels from a full crate to a short line of recipients.
noun

distribution

dis-trih-BYOO-shun/ˌdɪstrɪˈbjuːʃn/

The spreading of something among positions or recipients.

Etymology
disLatinapart, away; reversal or negation
+tributLatinassign, allot, or bestow
+ionLatinan action, process, or result

Individual allotment supplies the central image: dividing something into portions and parceling them out. The meaning broadened from allocation to spreading things out, including over a surface.

Full entry

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